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Monthly Archives: April 2013

I’ve always been intrigued by the sketchbooks of artists and how they give me a glimpse of their adventures and how they see the world. The sketchbook art of Yas is particularly interesting. Her sketches of food fascinate me with their quirkiness and detail. This quirkiness is evident in her other works as well. I am blown away by her skills and creativity in making art using various kinds of medium–I’ve seen her fantastic works using acrylic paint, polymer clay, watercolor and even rubbercuts! Idol!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your art/craft.

Hello, I’m Yas Doctor and I’m an illustrator / painter based in Manila.

2. What are your favorite tools in creating art and why do you love them?

Before, I’m into oil and acrylic. Watercolor was a huge pain at first so it took me some time to get used to it. Now, I mostly work with watercolor and acrylic but I’m going back to using oil, it’s been a while since I opened my bottle of linseed. Why I love to use them? I don’t know, I guess I enjoy using them. 🙂

3. Can you tell us about your daily routine or your artistic process?

I do my best to wake up before 9. It’s best that I don’t go beyond that. Then do my usual day-to-day home chores. After that, it’s the work area.

When an idea pops in my head, I hold on it and tweak it later on. When this happens, I know I’m on the right path. Otherwise, I work on different studies until I can come up with something useful. Sometimes I go for a walk to help organize my thoughts.

4. What inspires you? What makes you excited?

Traveling. Meeting, seeing different people and places and experiencing new cultures. I like that feeling of going to a different place and then coming home, going back to your work area feeling refreshed and ready to work.

5. Who are the local and foreign artists you admire the most?

MTM (How 90s of me)

6. Most inspiring place in the Philippines?

The Cordilleras. I wish I owned a hardcore SUV or a pick-up and so I could just drive around the region. Sagada, for me, is completely love at first sight.

7. If you were stuck in an island and could only bring one art/craft tool with you, what would it be and why?

Paper + a non-art tool: a box of matches. Burn some scrap wood and you have charcoal. Also, you can use the box of matches until you learn how to make fire.

8. Favorite snack/s while creating art?

Chips. Haha! I drink lots of tea or coffee while working.

9. Earliest childhood memory related to arts/crafts?

Playing with my father’s art materials and scraps in his studio.

10. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a saint. I thought it was an awesome job. You get to travel a lot! But then you’ll get tortured and get killed.

11. What’s your current job now?

Freelance illustrator / painter

12. Favorite books and/or movies?

Ernest Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast” / “In the mood for love”

13. What is your philosophy when creating/making art?

Always be curious: jot down notes, work on some doodles, and take photos if you have to!

BONUS question:

The Universe starts from scratch and you’re given the chance to be reincarnated as a famous artist. Which artist would you choose and why?

Oh, this is difficult. If the Universe starts from scratch and I’m given the chance to be reincarnated, well, I hope I end up being good person and have some of the qualities of the artists I idolize. I hope that’s not too much and I hope I made sense. 🙂

Where can we see your awesome work? What are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m working on a commissioned project and I’m still working on my studies. You can check some of my works on behance.net/yasdoctor. 🙂

One of the local artists I really admire, I love how Goldie finds inspiration from nature and her surroundings. Soulful and introspective, her artistic explorations tend to engage all of your senses. My favorite would have to be her handmade glass vessels containing various handmade scents, all with that local flavor.

Like Goldie, I too am mystified by glass and how it is formed and created. I’m crossing my fingers that I get to learn more about working with glass from her soon!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your art/craft.

Hi, I am Goldie and I started blowing glass in 2009 for my Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis project that was focused on using the olfactory sense of perception as a medium in fine art. I was very interested in new media and installation art and was interested in expressing my concerns about society in a different way. Subsequently I became interested in glass sculpting in order to create the vessels to contain the scents that were the vehicle for my narratives. I have been aggressively pursuing this art form ever since. I have fallen in love with the material.

2. What are your favorite tools in creating art and why do you love them?

I love my torch and borosilicate glass. Glass has always carried a mystery around its creation and I believe that as a medium, it is often taken for granted but if thought about carefully one will notice that a life without glass would be quite hard. We would not have wonderful magnifying tools that have aided in the advancement in our technology.

My true love for glass stems from the nature of its working process. When it melts it becomes liquid and one is only left with a certain amount of time to shape it before it becomes solid again. It is a beautiful medium that is often a mystery to me everyday that I work in my studio.

3. Can you tell us about your daily routine or your artistic process?

I wake up, brew myself some espresso, and get to work. I sometimes walk around or spend time time in nature to find some interesting shapes or stories. If I am working on a major body of work, I often spend months researching. I love the library. I cannot work without music.

7. If you were stuck in an island and could only bring one art/craft tool with you, what would it be and why?

A knife. So I can hunt for meat as well.

8. Favorite snack/s while creating art?

Espresso 🙂

9. Earliest childhood memory related to arts/crafts?

Pretending I was mixing coloured water in the bathroom.

10. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A vet.

11. What’s your current job now?

Self Employed Artist.

12. Favorite books and/or movies?

Books: One Hundred Years of Solitude, Haruki Murakami, Still Life with Woodpecker, The Fountainhead, The House of Spirits, The Shadow of the Wind, Anais Nin, Like Water for Chocolate, Outliers, The Princess Bride, Carl Jung, The End of Mr. Y, Dogeaters, Ermita, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Pippi Longstocking, and the list can go on forever.

Movies: Il Postino, Being John Malkovich, Eraserhead, Henry and June, Pretty Baby, The Hour of the Wolf, The Godfather series, Chungking Express

13. What is your philosophy when creating/making art?

Nulla e dificile a chi ama – Cicero ( Nothing is difficult if you have love)

BONUS question:
The Universe starts from scratch and you’re given the chance to be reincarnated as a famous artist. Which artist would you choose and why?

I would like to be Anais Nin and celebrate beauty and womanhood and live a life of pleasure, romance and adventure.

Where can we see your awesome work? (plug away!) What are you working on right now?

You can see my work in the Lopez Museum (Grounded) and The Metropolitan Museum of Manila (Riverscapes)

As a kid, summer equals “reading season”. My friends and cousins would be out there, having taekwondo lessons and music and art lessons while I chose to stay at home with my book-related adventures. Asked if I wanted to learn something new, I’d answer no, I’d rather stay in bed and read, and I was pretty much content with that, but deep down in my heart I knew I wanted to learn more about arts and crafts.

But–I was afraid. I was too shy and awkward and I feared failure and rejection too much that I didn’t even bother trying at all.

My fears overpowered my desire and that was a shame because if I really think about it, workshops are meant to be fun and not competitive–which is why I’m making up for lost time by joining as many workshops as my budget and time and schedule could allow. It’s challenging myself to follow through with that desire to create, to learn about various processes and techniques that are all transferable in the lovely world of arts and crafts. It’s also a neverending process of discovery, and I am learning about the techniques and materials that are suited for me and my short attention span. I also have the scanner personality, so there’s this huge urge to just try everything that interests me, even for a short amount of time.

Printmaking
I learned about this workshop from various friends, who all told me how they really loved their experience. Held at the headquarters of the Philippine Association of Printmakers, near CCP, you get to learn about basic printmaking techniques. I discovered that I am much too excitable which results in overinking (oops) and mismatched prints (shaky hands!) but this teaches me to see beauty in imperfection and to temper my excitement when using the press haha.

For my first monotype print, I made a merbird! Here are the other prints I made:

I also tried drypoint, a mermaid! I bought an old xray I had and used it to make this print:

Also stalked some kitties. I like that the area is shady and windy and has a nice unobstructed view of the sunset:

Creativity + Level 2 Watercolor Crafternoon by Alessa from Life After Breakfast
Been wanting to try this set for the longest time, and I was so excited when I opened the box!

Attempted to paint some shells. Lesson to self: Find an easier angle for intricate objects heh.

Enjoyed the group “collab”:

Met a lot of new friends and learned about color mixing here! Here’s the group:

Yay to artsycraftsy learning! Photo taken by new friend Mars, thanks Mars!

P.S. I got myself some statis flowers to spiffify the house. PLaced it inside jars decorated with washi tape. They make me smile each time I see them. I also have a vase with the same flowers in my office desk, to add cheer to my workstation.

Wiji, for me, will always be the quintessential Jill of all trades. She does graphic design, crafts, illustrates, and is a tattoo artist!

Her works are enchanting, whimsical and filled with good vibes. They take me to a nice place, where bunnicorns live in perfect harmony with mermaids and llamas.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your art/craft.

I am Wiji, I am technically a freelance illustrator and tattooer but honestly am a freelance dabbler–my studio/home is called The Curious Studio because I am very much curious. I like learning and playing with many things; I currently illustrate, I embroider, I do calligraphy, I tattoo, I make accessories when the mood strikes, I try to do pottery too. Oh the possibilities.

2. What are your favorite tools in creating art and why do you love them?

I am in love with watercolor paints–there is always something quiet but whimsical about watercolored pieces. Each accident is always magical. I like needles and thread though, I currently am in love with embroidery but I am always looking into new things I can do with them. In terms of tattooing, I have recently explored the beauty of rotary machines and that I need to be investing in more.

3. Can you tell us about your daily routine or your artistic process?

I think I have finally reached the age where I wake up early (9am–a vast contrast to my early 20s, when I woke up around 3pm). When I wake up I have coffee, it is imperative that I have coffee! Then I open my laptop and get inspired (aka browse blogs, pinterest, etc). I have a notebook where I list most of the things I need to accomplish for the day and then I do so. If the day’s task involves digital illustration or design, I of course keep my laptop open (and try to blog in between and send emails to clients, too). Otherwise, I shut it off and illustrate/paint. I realize that the mood of my work is often affected by the music I listen to. Lately, I’ve been on a classical music binge. I work/paint until about 3 or 4pm then I try to do yoga or pilates in between and then after a quick shower, hopefully re-energized, I go back to what I was doing. Two to three times a week I accept tattoo clients, and when I have tattoo clients for the day I usually schedule them after lunch.

4. What inspires you? What makes you excited?

Nature and travel excites and motivates me a lot. Trips to the beach, most specially. Or anywhere I get to clearly see the sky. I love celestial things. I love the moon! I love the stars! I get inspired when I see plants I’ve never seen before, I get inspired when the mood of the music I listen to coincides with the beauty of what I see in trips. I always have to have music during trips as much as I have to have music when I draw or paint.

5. Who are the local and foreign artists you admire the most?

I’ve been in love with a lot of local painter’s Buen Calubayan’s work. I also like Zeus Bascon’s stuff a lot! I was talking to my friend the other day about how maybe this could be another golden age of the Philippine art scene. There are so many emerging great talents! As for foreign artists, I’ve always been a big fan of Edward Gorey since I was about three, I think. I love Craig Thompson, too. And Jillian Tamaki and James Jean!

6. Most inspiring place in the Philippines?

Ahh, Batanes and Palawan. To think that there are so many more places I have to go to.

7. If you were stuck in an island and could only bring one art/craft tool with you, what would it be and why?

A pencil, I guess. Because it all began with that.

8. Favorite snack/s while creating art?

Pretzels!

9. Earliest childhood memory related to arts/crafts?

One of my earliest memories involve me and drawing on the back of the books I saw at home. But I have a very fond memory of creating a zine with my then neighbor, Albert. He would write stories, and I would draw and do the layout. We called it RM: Reader’s Magazine! Haha, it was an ode to the Readers’ Digest ones we saw around our house.

10. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an astronaut! (But I found out that maybe you needed to be good at math to be one…). I always loved science, especially when it involved celestial stuff.

11. What’s your current job now?

I am a freelance illustrator and tattooer.

12. Favorite books and/or movies?

Books: The Catcher in the Rye, Blankets, Sputnik Sweetheart, Kitchen, Norwegian Wood, The Shrinking of Treehorn
Movies: Reality Bites, Dazed and Confused, In the Mood for Love, Amelie, Midnight in Paris, The Royal Tenenbaums

13. What is your philosophy when creating/making art?

It has to be natural, it should be sincere.

BONUS question:

The Universe starts from scratch and you’re given the chance to be reincarnated as a famous artist. Which artist would you choose and why?

Tough, tough, tough question! Because I’ve been obsessed with Etienne Leopold Trouvelot lately, I’ll say him. (Although dammit, there are so many others I’d like to be too!) He was an entomologist and astronomer to begin with, and well I’ve always loved looking at the sky. And then he began drawing the skies, and plants and animals. Did you know that a crater on the moon was named after him?

Where can we see your awesome work? (plug away!) What are you working on right now?

Met up with the crafty ladies for a craft tambay (we bought our fave tools!) and a mini-TWYK (Teach What You Know) sesh. Made some easter cards for them using the crayon-resist method and washi tape:

Also! I bought a new Speedball cutter and I’m sort of in love with it. Thanks, Aya! So much in love that I hand-carved a few stamps within a few days:

Also tried linocutting! It was fun, but I was used to the soft erasers so it was a bit more challenging. I shall practice some more!: Here’s my first attempt, burnished using a negative canister;

Tippy taught me some watercolor techniques that I used in some watercolored paintings,

The day my hair became the sun:

For a friend’s birthday, she requested that I paint her a cake–I made her this cupcake, which is salted caramel, with strawberry orange buttercream icing and cherries:

Do you paint while traveling? I discovered that I like it, my waterbrush making it easier and super fun. I used my Prang set here and painted the Baler mountain view from memory, while we were on our way home. Also used some crayons for the crayon-resist effect:

Here are some of the drawings I’ve finished from Days 1-7. I’m really enjoying this challenge, and after the initial typical block of wondering what to draw, I find that experimenting with various techniques and materials to be highly pleasurable. I also realized that I dislike creating outlines with pencils, or just drawing with plain pencils–unless they’re colored ones. Due to this I’ve taken to drawing without outlines which results in a certain messiness that I’ve grown to love. This challenge has made me embrace the process more than the output, and to learn from each mistake. Thanks for this, Aileen!

Day 1: Yourself
Day 2: An animal
Day 3: An object in the room
Day 4: Favorite piece of clothing
Day 5: Fashion Illustration
Day 6: Something Involving water
Day 7: Inanimate Object come to life

Here are my drawings, starting from day one:

Day 1: Yourself
(Used a calligraphy pen, a really quick sketch so I don’t end up overworking it)

Day 2: An animal(A young fallow deer, drawn using watercolors and my water brush)

Gotta love an artist with a quirky sense of humor! Tippy from the Googly Gooeys shares with us her favorite tools and childhood dreams. Tippy is also a fantastic crafter (I love her mini clay props) and her watercolored works look so charming–
I think they’d look perfect in a children’s book. A girl after my own heart, she loves color too and you can see proof of it in the luscious photographs that she takes.

I always head to their site when I need a quick pick-me-upper, their posts certainly brighten up my day!

1. Hi, Tippy! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello! I’m Tippy. I’m the cartoonist behind the Googly Gooeys. I love, love, love colors. I’m left handed and I write with my paper turned 90 degrees clockwise. Most of the time, I really have no idea as to what I’m doing and why I’m doing it but I just do it because it makes me happy?

2. What are your favorite tools in creating art & why do you love them?Laptop – I mostly do my lay-outs and comics here. I do them with my trusty track pad. I have yet to own a tablet and I hope to own & learn how to use one (or claim ownership of my hubby’s tablet) soon!

Calligraphy Pen, Ink, Watercolor Set & Watercolor Brushes – Before computers became common (and I just totally gave my age away!), I used to do everything by hand. I would doodle with markers. I had this Crayola calligraphy marker set when I was in grade school which I would bring with me all the time. I almost forgot about how much I loved doing handmade stuff until I got injured last year. Since I had more time to sit down (because I couldn’t walk as much), I finally had time to explore, re-learn and learn new stuff. Initially, I thought that doing handmade things would take away time from developing my style digitally but recently, I’m just amazed as how it could actually affect one’s understanding of all those tools and brushes available.

Scissors & Double-sided Tape – There’s just so much stuff that you can do with a pair of scissors (which is so cliché and unoriginal of me, I know) and there’s double-sided tape for people who are crammers or people who want instant results like me 😉

Camera – I love taking pictures of non-living things. I love making them, arranging them and taking pictures of them.

3. Can you tell us about your daily routine or your artistic process?
Step 1: Wake up.
Step 2: Gather inspiration pegs from allover (even though most of the time they don’t have anything to do with my current project and I’m just totally fangirling around the worldwide web. Haha.)
Step 3: Check to-do list / Create a new one.
Step 4: Work on project / projects.
Step 5: Try not to get tempted with side projects / personal projects.
Step 6: Give in to personal projects in between deadlines anyway.
Step 7: Get back to work & submit work to client (optional: take a photo / screenshot of it & upload on Instagram)
Step 8: Tape the piece of personal project on the wall (or take a photo of it on Instagram. Hihi.)

For blogging:
Step 1: Finally have the sense of urgency that people need to read new stuff on the blog.
Step 2: Cram & chase the golden hour of uploading and hope that creative juices will flow because of the pressure or hopefully be saved by the notebook of potential plots & stories for the blog.
Step 3: Edit the colors, edit the lay-out (or sometimes scrap the whole story).
Step 4: Upload &update all social networking sites.
Step 5: Work on other projects until it’s time to create a new cartoon.
Step 6 (Optional): Write fresh new ideas upon stepping out of the bathroom.

4. What inspires you? What makes you excited?
I’m always inspired by new color combinations and and the revival of some design elements. Most of the time, my motivation to move on to another project or create a new cartoon is to get the chance to mix new colors, elements and props!? I’m also excited about being able to learn new things and techniques and improving my craft.

6. Most inspiring place in the PhilippinesI really think people should all go to Sagada & experience the sunrise in Kiltepan. You have to be there at around 4/4:30am. You’ll see the sun rise across the horizon while the clouds are waaaay below your feet! When the sun finally decides to show itself, the clouds beneath you will part to reveal a majestic view of rice terraces.
Moments like this make you realize how much you’re missing out on life when you’re so engrossed with your day-to-day tasks and deadlines! (This is me talking to myself).

7. If you were stuck in an island and could only bring one art & craft tool with you, what would it be and why?
*Stares at paper bags of art materials brought for the weekend spent out-of-town and sighs*
Waahh! This is difficult. Can I just have my laptop & wi-fi connection? Hahaha. How long will I be stuck in that island so that I can compute what kind of tool I need to bring before it totally gets destroyed? Clearly, I don’t travel light 😛

9. Earliest childhood memory related to arts / crafts?
It was our assignment to color in this rooster in pre-school. I didn’t have any concept of color combinations back then but I was so amazed when my dad introduced me to the use of primary colors instead of pulling out random hues from my box. Looking back, I don’t know if having a red, yellow and blue rooster really made any sense but that was my first ever lesson on color schemes ?

I also had this final project in pre-school where we were supposed to draw the seven days of creation. My mom and aunt were so worried because I was underage—I was one year younger than my classmates. They didn’t know where they should buy posters and such that I could just cut them up and we could all make a collage out of it. I finally managed to draw all seven pages in my own crude little way. I don’t really remember how it looked like but there was a bit of relief and fulfillment when it was done. I knew I at least had something to pass. That was my first real project.

10. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?At first I wanted to be an astronaut. Sometimes, I had dreams about being able to fly. Then they told me there were only a few astronauts who made it so I wanted to be a doctor instead. Then I discovered that I’ll have to study forever if I wanted to become a doctor so I wanted to be an inventor or engineer since I thought drawing & measuring things was fun. Finally, when I graduated from high school, I had the choice of taking up Civil Engineering or Management Engineering. I took the latter.
While I was growing up, I would always stare at the stuff they sell in stationery stores and daydream about being to buy all the art materials I wanted to buy as a kid when I was older. I’m happy to have fulfilled that dream. Haha.

11. What’s your current job now?57% of the time, I would help out in the family business while 43% of the time, I blog, design & take pictures.

12. Favorite books and/or movies?I’m not necessarily into books since I easily get distracted when I’m reading. I must admit I enjoyed the whole Malcolm Gladwell series of books though. I enjoy reading short essays from magazines such as Frankie, Time & Glamour UK—I know that’s such an odd mix of magazine titles! 😛 I also often find myself staring at pictures and artworks of design books more than actually reading the descriptions & articles.

As for movies, I really really like 500 Days of Summer and I love the soundtrack too! I know it’s been years since it has been shown but I always wish Tom & Summer ended up together. Haha. When I was a kid, I also had a similar go-to movie: My Girl. I watched it so many times and cried each time and watched it again anyway. Gahhh…..I don’t know why I do that to myself!?!?

13. What is your philosophy when creating / making art?Just do whatever makes you happy. It may not make sense all the time but don’t be afraid, go on, follow your heart.

BONUS QUESTION:The Universe starts from scratch and you’re given the chance to be reincarnated as a famous artist. Which artist would you choose and why?

This is a tough question. I’d like to bit of all of them and sometimes, I wish I could just travel so that I could attend their workshops abroad. On the other hand, for the artists I like who are no longer alive, I already know about their woes in life so that kind of leaves me not wanting to live their life because the endings to the stories have been revealed 😛 I would love to travel back & forth in time though to witness a week or so of their lives ?

What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on a new blog post—a collaboration with one of my friends. I also have a few wedding / design projects lined up as well as events and exhibits. I’m taking it a (half-)day at a time 😛

Mabuhay!

Hi! I'm Drea Dela Cruz, an artist/crafter from Manila, Philippines.

I love trying new things related to arts and crafts and experimenting with various materials.

I started this blog because I wanted to share my love for the DIY movement--I believe everyone has that artistic side that makes them unique and special and I support encouraging fellow makers. Keep on making things!

Aside from arts and crafts, I also enjoy reading books and magazines, playing with stray cats, traveling, and eating. I'd love to share my artsy-craftsy adventures and journey with you here!

If you wanna get in touch with me, kindly email: mabuhaydiy@gmail.com.